


I am Become Death

by AstroKeith114



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Additional Tags to Be Added, Be nice please, Dark!Keith, How Do I Tag, M/M, Shiro is a dick, eventual sweet keith, first time writing a voltron fanfic, im in love with mature slowburns, keith is a bamf, love sweet keith, more tags as i write, random updates probably, weird time-travelly wonky shit eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:26:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28767801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstroKeith114/pseuds/AstroKeith114
Summary: When the Blade of Marmora contacts Voltron to help extract moles found out within a Galra base, something seems amiss. When Voltron infiltrates, they find no trace of the moles in question but instead incidentally intercept a communique from a mysterious world lightyears away.There are more questions than answers.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	I am Become Death

**Author's Note:**

> Well, hey there! This is my first time writing a Voltron fanfic. To be quite honest, I didn't really watch the series other than half of the first season, so most of what I write is info I've picked up by reading here, lol. (Pls don't be mad). 
> 
> I want to also say that I set out to write everyday or whatever but it never ends up happening, so updates might be sporadic. I DO want comments however, cuz I've noticed a lack of new quality Voltron fanfics in the last 10 months or so. Idk, it might have to do with the show? Y'all know more about that than me.
> 
> I am OBSESSED with Lance and Keith's relationship. Just... Keith's aloofness juxtaposed with Lance's goofiness is just, uhg. Idk what it is about it, but seeing Keith melt his hard exterior when it comes to Lance... gosh, it just is so cute and fuzzy.
> 
> ANYWAY, here goes nothing. This might take a year to write, I have absolutely no idea. I'll try and write the first few chapters quicker so that there's more stuff to read for you guys. PLEASE leave comments, I'll try and respond to every one. 
> 
> I don't have a Tumblr and I can't draw, so I have nothing to promote. Just a midwest gay college bro that is obsessed with these characters. So. Yeah. We're out there. Till we meet again.

A rocky, windswept world waited, dormant, at the edge of space.

It exuded fear and death, and darkness surrounded it.

It was once flush with life, teaming with vibrancy and potential. But now it had been swept aside from history, gnarled and atrophied from disuse and abuse. Forgotten yet not forgetting. Dormant, yet within its belly a force was awakening, crowding the walls, howling to break free.

Yet time and patience it had, as it had utilized so stridently in ages past.

So still it waited. Waited for the right ones, waited for the right time. 

They shall not make the same mistake twice.

***

Keith poked at his food, half-listening to Lance talk at Pidge regarding his antics during the last mission. The team had just gotten back four or five vargas ago, and was allowed time to rest and then debrief with a disgruntled Shiro who barreled through the meeting as though he had spilt hot coffee on his crotch. Hell, maybe he had.

The team had been tired and restless. Shiro had gotten intel on a planet a few hundred lightyears away from Earth that had been fighting off Galra scouting ships, and so Voltron was called to try and scare them away. The team had done their duty, forming Voltron and slaying two of the medium-sized ships before the others left, ostensibly with their tails between their legs. It was pretty standard fare, but lately that’s all they had been getting. Galra activity had been on the low side for the past phoeb, with no garish grabs of power or juicy planet annihilations to speak of. 

Meanwhile, the team had been getting restless and worn down. Pidge slept at her computer most days, working on God knows what, and Hunk had been trying to figure out how to bypass the access codes that emit the food goo so that he could actually make real - ok, somewhat real - food. Shiro was as grumpy and put out as he always was, commanding not with the warmth and dedication of previous missions but with a quiet aloofness that was starting to grate on the team’s nerves. Allura, most days teeming with grace, had been short-tempered as of late and Coran was doing everything in his power to make it seem as though it did not supremely annoy him. Lance - annoying, petty, and vain Lance - was the only one on the team that didn’t seem to notice everyone else’s souring moods. In fact, Keith surmised, most things went past the Cuban boy, which included most social cues. Like the one Pidge was giving him right now of an exasperated ‘I’m-listening-but-not-really’ dazed head nods.

The only sounds that were present in the dining area right now, in fact, was the sound of scraping silverware and Lance’s pitched voice. Even the ever-present hum of the ship seemed to recede in secondhand embarrassment from Lance’s lack of awareness.

The screech of Keith’s chair managed to get the hyper boy’s attention, as he paused in the middle of his sentence as looked over in annoyance. Keith made sure to shroud his eyes with his long bangs, shooting daggers at Lance, and stood, picking up his plate. Lance’s hazel eyes met his for a split second while his face crunched into a scowl. 

“Don’t be rude, Keith,” was all he said, as he promptly dismissed the other boy to focus back on his conversation at hand. Not one to supply pity very often, Keith met Pidge’s gaze and tried to show his annoyance and commiseration, which was apparently understood and accepted with a simple shrug. Keith put his plate in the Altean version of a dishwasher, grabbed a bagged water from the cooling unit, and left the dining area.

“Anyway,” Lance continued, his plate half-eaten and off to the side, “I was just thinking about those Galra scouting ships. They really left quick after we knocked out a few, huh? That’s weird, don’tcha think?” He gazed at Pidge with an expectant look while Hunk came back from the kitchen with a new plate of food goo. Hunk met Pidge with a sidelong glance, and then put in a mouthful of food goo before talking around it.

“I mean, I guess, dude,” Hunk said, chewing more thoughtfully. He swallowed, and pointed his fork in Lance’s general direction. “You heard what Shiro had to say about it, though. We know those scouting ships are fragile and the Empire can’t really afford to lose many of them. Why they decided to scout a planet so obviously close to Earth is beyond me. That’s the farthest they’ve gotten from their part of occupied space in more than a deca-phoeb.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Lance said. Although his friends would never admit it to him, Lance sometimes operated with a level of swishy-ness that belied his apparent fascination and obsession with the opposite gender. When he got excited, his voice lilted and it was hard not to unhear it. Well, that, and he was a petty bitch. “Telcon has, what? Maybe 40 million telcini on it? That’s, like, not much people - I mean, telcini -”

Pidge rolled her eyes, holding her head up with the palm of her hand. “Shiro said that the Blade has been keeping tabs on Galra activity in that quadrant for like, a hundred years or something. The Galra scout it out and then seemingly forget about it once they find another planet to conquer in their own region. I think it’ll be ok.”

“Still, seems weird to me,” Lance mumbled, realizing he still had a plate with food on it. He centered it back in front of him and took a large mouthful. “Yeah, but what about -”

“Lance.” Hunk was now standing with an empty plate in his hand, and Pidge was making movements that showed she was about to get up too. “Buddy, we’re all tired. It’s been a long day. I’m probably gonna go back to my room now.”

Pidge looked guilty and skittish but concurred. “So am I. Don’t worry about the planet, Lance. It’ll all be fine.”

Lance finally realized he was being censured and looked down at his plate. “Oh. Yeah,” he said, softly now. “Uh, yeah! Go ahead. I was just about to get up, anyway.”

Hunk met his gaze with a tired, familiar smile. “I know you were, buddy. See ya around.” With that, Hunk left with Pidge not far behind, and Lance sat, quiet now, poking at the remainder of his food goo.

Man, what was with everybody?

***

Lance couldn’t sleep and incidentally found Keith on the training deck, apparently having the same thoughts he did. Keith was a complete enigma to Lance. The long-haired boy was gruff and mean-spirited, mostly answering questions with a one word answer or a vague grunt. He didn’t suffer fools well, and had a temper so short that Lance never knew quite what was going to set him off. He almost always kept to himself and only spoke when he had something worth saying. He would shoot Lance scathing looks through his long bangs, which Lance always had a disgusting urge to swipe out of his face, if nothing more than just to see the full white of his eyes. 

Presently, Keith was shirtless, gleaning with sweat, and the top of his one-piece training suit was off, with the top and arm sleeves dangling down haphazardly around his waist. His hair was tied up into a practical pony-tail, and he was using dual swords to chop down robot enemies, which he was frighteningly proficient at. Lance, guiltily, stopped and stared and nearly shit himself when Keith tensed and whipped around, pausing the simulation in the process. Keith’s body was solid and sinewy, which Lance totally didn’t think or make a note of.

Keith narrowed his eyes at the Cuban boy and they both stood, staring, with the only noise being Keith’s heavy breathing.

“What are you doing here?” Keith accused bluntly. Lance, to Keith, was supremely irritating. Lanky, hyper, and unfocused. Loud. Obnoxious. Whereas Keith was an enigma to Lance, Lance was all out in the open for Keith to read, and it made him want to vomit. Keith felt as though anyone that wore their emotions and thoughts on their sleeve in the way that Lance did was an idiot, not to mention utterly nïave. It drove the dark-haired boy crazy.

Lance shifted uncomfortably on his feet, squirming under Keith’s stony glare. “I - uh - sorry. I couldn’t sleep. I figured some training would. Um. Help.”

Keith huffed. “End simulation!” Lance watched, rooted in place, as Keith went to the lockers at the side of the room to collect his belongings. He drank thirstily from his water pouch, and started stuffing his stuff back into his training bag. He didn’t look back when he said, “The floor’s all yours.”

And fuck him, Lance didn’t why it popped into his head and subsequently out of his mouth, but suddenly he was saying, “I was thinking we could, um, maybe train together? We don’t very often and I’d rather you finish your own training than having me kick you out.”

Keith, with his bare back still facing Lance, froze. Without missing a beat, Keith said, “Well, Lance, maybe you should decide to come other times other than three fucking A.M. so you wouldn’t have to kick me out.”

Lance let out a short, strangled grunt of surprise and offense to which Keith sighed and his shoulders relaxed. Keith turned around, and looked at Lance, his feature softening to supremely annoyed rather than pissed Lance was in his presence. “Fine. Don’t make a habit of this.”

They sparred for a while, Keith gracious and light on his feet. He gave Lance pointers and corrected his form at times, but that’s all that was said. Eventually, Lance tired out, and gratefully snatched the water pouch that was proffered to him by the other boy and drank greedily.

Lance was caught off-guard a few minutes later, when Keith spoke out of nowhere. Lance was sitting on the floor, his back against the wall, and Keith was again near the lockers packing up his stuff. “I wouldn’t worry about Telcon. The Blade has had eyes on that region of space for years.” Lance was speechless as he watched Keith undo his ponytail and preen his bangs back carefully in front of his eyes. 

“You were listening?” Lance yelped, his voice cracking. He could have sworn that Keith smirked, but it was gone just as quickly. Keith quickly packed up the rest of his stuff and left, leaving Lance in the quiet of the training room, the lights now dimmed.

Lance thought that was the first time he’d ever seen Keith smile.


End file.
